A Lichfield man is celebrating after raising more than £1,800 for charity.

Steve Underwood took part in the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride on 30th September.

Steve Underwood

The event, which takes place around Lichfield and Tamworth, raises funds for men’s mental health and prostate cancer charities.

Steve, who works for Birmingham-based contractor Colmore Tang Construction, said he was inspired to raise funds after discovering statistics that show male construction staff are three times more likely to take their own lives than men not working in the sector.

“As a company, we take the health of our people very seriously and the statistics surrounding male suicide within the construction sector demonstrate that there is still much more to do across the industry to make sure free and confidential support is available when needed,” he said, who completed the ride on his 1957 AJS Model 18S bike alongside 70 other people.

“We’re starting to see changes in the way that mental health issues are viewed in the workplace – telling people to ‘man up’ is thankfully no longer acceptable and this will all help to remove the stigma of mental health.”

The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride, which began in 2012, attracts more than 120,000 men in 650 cities worldwide, who ride classic and vintage motorcycles. Steve travelled through Staffordshire on his 1957 AJS Model 18S bike, accompanied by 70 riders on the day, and raised in excess of £1,800.